1. Civil procedure. In federal practice, the plaintiff’s response to the defendant’s counterclaim (or, by court order, to the defendant’s or a third party’s answer).Fed. R. Civ. P. 7(a). [Cases: Federal Civil Procedure 801–815.]
2. Common-law pleading. The plaintiff’s response to the defendant’s plea or answer. • The reply is the plaintiff’s second pleading, and it is followed by the defendant’s rejoinder. — Also termed (in sense 2) replication. [Cases: Pleading 162, 164. C.J.S. Pleading §§ 209, 213–214, 219.] — reply, vb.
